


Sacrifice

by SylvaniusOStephans



Category: Original Work
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2016-08-05
Packaged: 2018-07-29 13:46:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7686895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SylvaniusOStephans/pseuds/SylvaniusOStephans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>To everyone, he was the screw up of the school. He was the one guaranteed to fail every time he tried. Except for, of course, Erin. Erin, his best friend, the only one who ever cared about him, mistakes and all. When the choice to suffer for the rest of eternity or let Erin stay in the place that would hurt her was given to him, he didn't even have to think about it. </p>
<p>He would give everything to save Erin. And he did.</p>
<p>(Just a short little >1000 word starter that I might get around to making a story about.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sacrifice

He stumbled further into the dark, dank swamp, eyes bright. He could do this. He had to do this. He didn't have a choice in the matter. A scream made him move faster through the darkest of the world's. She didn't belong here. She was pure, untouched by the darkness of the worlds around her.

On the other hand, he was dirty, dark, cruel, and in a place like this, he was more likely to be stuck here. He was darkness, compared to her light. He was empowered by the darkness in a place like this.

He breathed out her name, as quietly as he could while his mind screamed in response to her pain. "Erin." His pants were soaked by the mud, and still, somehow, he wasn't the one stuck here. He wasn't the one that the others wanted. He wasn't the one that should have been free, but he was going to fix it. He was going to fix everything. Somehow.

It took him longer than it should have before he found a deep hole in the ground that he had heard about from one of the others. This must have been the place. Another scream echoed, and he grimaced, this was the place alright. He lifted a hand to light the way and peered inside, swallowing roughly.

He could do this, he thought determination coursing through his veins. He knew exactly what was going to happen if he slid down the hole. He didn't know exactly how he was going to cope with this, but he knew that he deserved it more than Erin ever would.

"Give her back." He hissed out into the darkness. Suddenly, he could see perfectly in the low light environment, and he had to restrain himself from running to her rescue. His eyes moved to Erin, ignoring the hooded creatures that he guessed were the guardians.

She was chained down on a stone alter, blood spilt around her, dyeing her beautiful dark blonde locks. He took in every bruise, every cut, and every injury he could see. They had hurt her, and badly too. Around her were the guardian, he assumed. They had somehow managed to tear her flesh.

He couldn't believe what had happened in such a short time to his sweet Erin.

"Do you take her place?" One of the guardians purred moving over to him and resting one, long, rotten hand on his face. Disgust welled up inside of him.

"I do so willingly." He easily replied. And he did. He would allow himself to be hurt to keep her from ever feeling pain. She was his everything, and once again, he had failed her.

For that alone, he deserved a lifetime of pain and suffering.

Erin wasn't really aware of her surroundings, he noticed darkly. Her eyes had long since rolled back in her head due to the pain she was that they had inflicted on her.

"Are you sure?" It purred again, "It means, dear heart, that you will scream for us until the day this world shatters. No one will be able to save you, like you are with her. Are you really willing to allow yourself to be tortured by us for the rest of the time we are a planet?"

"Yes." He said simply. And he was, if it got Erin out of danger.

They exchanged looks. For a moment he was unsure if they would keep their word, but one of them snapped two cold, dead fingers together.

The next thing he knew, he was the one on the altar. He looked around wildly for Erin, knowing she was still there. He found her eyes, and was pleased to note that she seemed aware of her surroundings.

She must have been healed, at least slightly, for her to remain frozen like she was.

"What are you...?" She trailed off.

He stayed silent, waiting until understanding darkened her eyes. "Wait, you can't-"She stuttered out. Erin was one of the only people in the world who actually cared about him. Erin was the one who had become his light, who had always believed in him no matter what the rest of the world thought about him.

"I can." He shot back, allowing himself to relax slightly on the stone under him. "I can, and I did. Follow the string, Erin. Follow the string." He tried to tell her. The string would lead her back to the others, and to a world where things may not have been perfect, but it was better than here.

"But, I can't leave you here!" she cried out. "You didn't do anything wrong!"

"Maybe not," he admitted this time, grudgingly, "But I know you didn't. Now go."

"But-"

"GO Erin!" He shouted out, startling her until she backed away from his glare. She stumbled for a moment, before running. She, thankfully, had the sense to obey him when it came to following the string, he thought bitterly.

The guardians crowded around him, each with matching looks that he refused to read. This would be worse for him because of his empathy. He could easily feel how pleased and confused they were about his decision to switch places with Erin. But that was alright.

No one needed to understand. Not really.

"Well, dear heart," one of the guardians, a different one than earlier, whispered out, "What will it take to break you? Will we simply have to scar that pretty skin of yours? Carve our names into your bones? Peel your skin off your bones?"

He grinned savagely. "You can try you bastards." He challenged. He wasn't okay, he would probably never be, but Erin was alive, and that was all that mattered. He would cope. He always had before. He would never break for them, ever. He was doing this for Erin, and as long as he remembered why he was doing this, he could cope.


End file.
